金剛般若論會釋 3.31

3.31

From here below is the second major section, presenting the cause of the buddhas and bodhisattvas to reveal that the fruit of the buddhas and bodhisattvas possesses unexcelled, equal awakening. The sūtra text has two parts: first, directly revealing it; later, breaking attachment. The treatise follows in explaining the sūtra, likewise divided into two. The Liang, Kumārajīva, and Bodhiruci versions all say that by cultivating all wholesome phenomena one attains anuttarā-bodhi, following from clarifying that when the Buddha was in the causal stage he fully cultivated all wholesome phenomena to completion and therefore attained unexcelled, correct, and equal bodhi, unlike the two vehicles. Chapter thirty-eight of the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā-prajñāpāramitā-sūtra states: all wholesome phenomena are the cause of unexcelled bodhi. Subhūti addressed the Buddha: 'What are all wholesome phenomena?' The Buddha said: 'The six pāramitās, the four stations of mindfulness, up to the eighteen unshared dharmas are all the bodhisattva path and bodhisattva practice; when these wholesome phenomena have been completed, one attains the knowledge of all aspects, turns the wheel of Dharma, and saves sentient beings.' Turning the wheel of Dharma and saving sentient beings is again the text setting forth great benefit; this clarifies that the Buddha, having fully cultivated all wholesome phenomena, therefore attained unexcelled awakening and the like. If based on Paramārtha's and the Tang versions, they say: 'Among all wholesome phenomena, none are not directly realized; among all wholesome phenomena, none are not wonderfully awakened to.' The treatise speaks comprehensively of the Buddha's cause, cause's fruit, and the perfection of wholesome phenomena: that is to say, at the time of the uninterrupted path, the causes of all wholesome phenomena are fulfilled, subtle confusion is permanently exhausted, and one equally realizes the endurance of cessation with all buddhas, hence it is said 'among all wholesome phenomena, none are not directly realized.' Arriving at the path of liberation, subtle suffering is also exhausted, merits are perfected, and one is equally named 'wonderfully awakened' with all buddhas, hence it is said 'among all wholesome phenomena, none are not wonderfully awakened to.' Cause and fruit are both completely unlike the two vehicles; therefore, the Buddha's bodhi has the phrase 'unexcelled equal awakening'. Next, as for breaking attachment: because some people, pursuing the name 'wholesome phenomena', give rise to attachment, it says in terms of the ultimate truth that wholesome phenomena are precisely non-wholesome phenomena. The treatise does this to establish the ultimate truth, destroying the error of superimposition; furthermore, fearing that people might repudiate and deny conditionally arisen wholesome phenomena, it therefore speaks in terms of conventional truth that 'they are called wholesome phenomena', causing them to abandon the error of deprecation. Vasubandhu explains: therefore, those tainted things are not pure phenomena; what is spoken of here as wholesome is precisely pure, untainted phenomena. Furthermore, because these wholesome phenomena have no taints, they are called non-wholesome phenomena; because taints are absent, they are called wholesome phenomena. For this reason, the Tang version repeats the words; or else it is repeated because of the two aspects of cause and fruit.